Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku walked through the corridors of the World Government headquarters building, their footsteps echoing off polished marble floors. Afternoon light streamed through tall windows, but neither man seemed to notice the beauty of their surroundings.
Both of their expressions were grim, shadows pooling under their eyes. This trip to Mary Geoise was decidedly not a pleasant affair. The Five Elders had personally summoned them to hold them accountable for the Spring Queen Island disaster.
Just as Cancer and Momonga had discussed in that Marineford tavern, the Marines were always evaluated as a unified whole. Even though Fleet Admiral Kong hadn't participated in any of the tactical arrangements for the operation, leaving everything entirely to Admiral Sengoku to handle, if something went catastrophically wrong, he still had to stand up and accept responsibility alongside his subordinate.
That was the burden of command.
After entering the building's elevator, it rose smoothly toward the top floor. Neither officer spoke, each lost in their own thoughts about the coming confrontation.
The Five Elders' office occupied the entire top floor of the World Government headquarters building, a position both literal and symbolic.
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, they spotted a figure in the distance. A thin but very tall man emerged from the Five Elders' office, built like a bamboo pole but carrying an aura of cold authority.
The man had gray hair and appeared to be over sixty years old. His temperament was frigid, unwelcoming. The kind of person whose very presence suggested unpleasant intentions.
He wore a tailored black suit, and his eyes, a rare shade of green, gave him an almost ghostly appearance in the corridor's lighting.
Judging from his expression, he was in a foul mood. It was obvious he'd just been severely reprimanded in the Five Elders' office.
Upon seeing this man, both Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong's expressions soured further. They didn't bother acknowledging him, simply walking past without a word or glance.
At that moment, the man's cold voice cut through the air. "You Marine dogs really have no manners at all. Don't you know to greet your superiors when you see them?"
Neither Kong nor Sengoku slowed their pace.
The man's voice rose, anger bleeding through. "Kong, you bastard, do you want me to cut all of your Marines' funding for next year? I could do it, you know."
Fleet Admiral Kong stopped and turned, his massive frame radiating barely contained fury. His voice came out flat, dangerous. "Pask, if you have the authority to do it, then go ahead and try. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing you attempt it. Please, by all means, withhold my Marines' funding next year."
The challenge hung in the air between them.
Pask. Former Commander-in-Chief of the CP Agency, currently serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military.
Because of his background in the CP organization, the Marines had been at bitter odds with him ever since his appointment to the supreme military position. The relationship was toxic, corrosive to inter-service cooperation.
To be fair, the man did possess certain capabilities. Otherwise, he would never have been able to hold the position of CP Agency Commander-in-Chief, and his subsequent promotion to Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military would have been impossible.
However, he also carried severe flaws. Perhaps because of his long career as a spy and intelligence operative, he was extremely ruthless in his methods, possessed a narrow, vindictive mind, and pursued objectives by any means necessary regardless of collateral damage.
Over the past few years, his actions had systematically intensified the conflict between the Marines and the CP Agency, poisoning what should have been a cooperative relationship.
From that perspective, he was utterly unqualified as Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military.
Simply put, he didn't understand where his true loyalties should lie.
As Commander-in-Chief, he should have taken an overarching view, balancing both organizations' interests. Competition was acceptable, even healthy. But what he fostered was vicious, destructive infighting.
In the future, when Kong himself eventually assumed this role, he would perform brilliantly in the position. But Pask at this moment was clearly not up to the standard Kong would set.
"Such sharp tongues for a pair of losers," Pask said with a sneer, his green eyes glinting.
But before he could continue, Admiral Sengoku suddenly surged forward. His hand shot out and grabbed Pask's collar, lifting the taller man partially off his feet. Sengoku's face was a mask of barely controlled rage.
Despite Pask's height and thin build, Sengoku was also extremely tall and far more powerfully built. The Admiral had no trouble manhandling the bureaucrat.
"Sengoku," Fleet Admiral Kong said softly, a note of warning in his voice.
Admiral Sengoku held the position for a few more seconds, letting the message sink in. Then he snorted coldly and released Pask's collar, letting the man stumble backward. "Pask... No, I apologize, Commander-in-Chief. Please be more careful with your words next time."
The title was delivered with acid courtesy.
Without another word, both Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong turned and walked away, their backs rigid with contempt.
Pask stood frozen, seemingly unable to process what had just happened. How dare a mere Admiral treat him with such disrespect? Physically assault him?
He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military! The audacity was staggering!
But as his initial shock faded, Pask found himself uncertain what action he could actually take. After all, Sengoku's move had been carefully calibrated. Yes, it was humiliating. But there was no real evidence, no injury he could display as proof of assault.
He couldn't exactly go crying to the Five Elders complaining that Sengoku had grabbed his collar, could he?
That would be pathetic. Beneath his dignity. The Five Elders would probably punish him first for wasting their time with such trivial matters.
As for punishing the Marines over this incident... Well, the two organizations had already been at odds for years. One more provocation from Sengoku wouldn't fundamentally change anything. Pask also knew that his systematic targeting of the Marines had already reached a critical limit. If he pushed any harder, the Five Elders wouldn't even wait for Kong to complain before stepping in to teach him a lesson themselves.
After all, despite his impressive title as Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military, his background meant he had no real institutional support like the Marines did. He couldn't be too heavy-handed without consequences.
To put it bluntly, he was just a guard dog raised by the Five Elders. Useful for certain purposes, but ultimately disposable.
So after standing in the corridor with a dark expression for a long moment, Pask snorted coldly, turned on his heel, walked into the elevator, and left.
On the other side of the corridor, Fleet Admiral Kong glanced sideways at Sengoku. "You're very angry today."
Admiral Sengoku had always presented himself as calm and strategic in his public persona, a man of wisdom and patience. But today he'd been noticeably irritable, allowing his control to slip.
Sengoku didn't bother hiding it. He responded directly, "It's not just today. I've been extremely angry recently."
"That's not like you," Kong said with a slight smile, though his eyes remained serious.
Sengoku's voice took on a meaningful tone. "I'm not a machine that can always remain perfectly calm and rational, Kong. Sometimes anger serves a purpose."
"Perhaps," Kong said quietly, "at this particular point in time, being somewhat aggressive might actually be more beneficial to our Marines' position."
"Do we really not need to worry about that Pask situation?" Sengoku asked, changing the subject slightly.
"He's just a waste," Kong said dismissively, waving one massive hand. "He's lost the basic principles required to serve as Commander-in-Chief effectively. The only reason the Five Elders are protecting him now is convenience. Just wait and see. Once the political situation shifts and their priorities change, the first one to be sacrificed will be men like him. He's a dead bone in a forgotten grave, nothing more. Don't waste energy thinking about him. I want to see how long he can maintain this arrogance before reality catches up."
"You're right about that," Sengoku agreed, allowing himself a small smile.
After a brief pause, Sengoku asked again, his voice dropping lower, "Kong, you really don't need to be concerned about those previous matters we discussed?"
Fleet Admiral Kong paused, then chuckled quietly. "Originally, I was planning to use this incident to temper their spirits a bit. Having them suffer this humiliation would unite our Marines against a common external enemy and make things easier for you when you eventually take my position. But Finn is proving remarkably capable, even winning over Sakazuki to his way of thinking."
Kong's smile widened slightly.
"Didn't Finn go to the East Blue with Garp not long ago? I'm certain he has his own plans in motion. Let's just let him handle it his way. We shouldn't interfere. Let the young ones have their chance to shine. If anything goes seriously wrong, we'll step in and cover for them. That's our role now."
"I roughly understood your intentions," Sengoku said with matching smile.
It was obvious that both Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong were fully aware of the internal issues: the CP Agency's interference in Marine Admiral promotions, the World Government's deliberate intention to suppress the future prospects of the Marines' elite officer corps.
However, unlike Stussy's external perspective when she'd analyzed the situation for Finn, assuming it was purely the CP Agency interfering with Marine internal affairs, Kong and Sengoku understood the deeper truth.
In reality, the CP Agency didn't have the institutional power to change the so-called "unwritten rules" on their own. The CP Agency had been able to influence the World Government's interference in Marine promotions primarily because Pask served as Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military. He was the mechanism, the bridge between World Government policy and CP Agency ambitions.
But in Fleet Admiral Kong's assessment, Pask was nothing but a dead man walking, politically speaking. He wouldn't be able to maintain his position much longer. Why should Kong waste energy worrying about such a temporary obstacle?
If Finn hadn't started making moves independently, Kong's original strategic plan had been simple: accept this defeat gracefully, admit the mistake publicly, take the punishment.
This would serve to consolidate the loyalty and unified purpose of senior Marine officers, further weakening the World Government's influence over Marine affairs through the accumulated resentment many senior officers would naturally feel toward external political interference.
Then Kong could wait patiently, perhaps for years, until the World Government could no longer maintain the current arrangement, or until some fundamental shift in the global situation occurred. At that point, Kong himself could smoothly transition into the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Military.
When that day came, when Kong held supreme military authority and Pask had fallen from grace, all the problems currently binding the Marines could be comprehensively resolved. All the grievances the Marines had accumulated over the years could finally be addressed.
At that critical juncture, the World Government would be forced to ease their suppression of the Marines, fearful of provoking something worse, some institutional breakdown they couldn't control.
It was also for this reason that when Sengoku eventually succeeded Kong as Fleet Admiral, he would be able to act with far greater autonomy. Kong believed absolutely in Sengoku's talents and strategic vision. He was confident Sengoku would lead the Marines to new heights and fundamental institutional reforms.
In fact, this prediction would prove accurate. During the period when Admiral Sengoku served as Fleet Admiral, Marine strength would advance by leaps and bounds. Simultaneously, World Government interference in Marine operations would decrease substantially.
The reasons for that success would be complex, of course. The chaos of the Great Pirate Era would play a role, forcing the World Government to grant the Marines more operational freedom. Kong and Sengoku's careful political maneuvering would matter. The Revolutionary Army's external pressure would create new priorities.
Many factors would contribute. But the result would be clear: the Marines would enjoy tremendous institutional autonomy during that stage, rarely forced into unwanted actions by World Government mandate.
That period of strength would continue until the Battle of Marineford. Though technically a victory, the battle's consequences would be devastating: Impel Down's destruction, further chaos across the seas, political fallout.
Admiral Sengoku would resign as Fleet Admiral in the aftermath. Sakazuki would take over. And the World Government would seize upon the Marines' perceived failure, exploiting internal factional disputes, supporting Sakazuki's promotion specifically to reimpose certain constraints and controls over Marine independence.
But even under those renewed constraints, during Sakazuki's tenure as Fleet Admiral, the Marines would maintain strong institutional resistance. They would even completely overturn the Seven Warlords of the Sea system in one decisive move.
All of that future success would be possible because of the groundwork Sengoku had laid, the institutional power he'd carefully accumulated and preserved.
But that was thinking about position and perspective.
Depending on where you stood in the hierarchy, you would naturally view problems differently.
As an Admiral Candidate, Finn naturally hoped to become a full Admiral as quickly as possible. His perspective was personal ambition combined with institutional advancement.
But Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku had already reached the pinnacle of Marine authority. What they planned for was naturally the organization's longer-term trajectory, its future across decades rather than immediate promotions.
Stussy's willingness to provide advice and intelligence to Finn came partly because she stood outside the Marine institutional system, giving her a different vantage point. But also because she genuinely hoped Finn would grow stronger and more capable, more quickly. Her motivations were complex, personal and professional intertwined.
None of them were wrong in their perspectives. They simply operated on different timescales and with different priorities.
At this moment, it seemed Fleet Admiral Kong, as both the Marines' supreme commander and an elder statesman of the organization, wanted to see what Finn and his generation could accomplish. He was willing to provide them a stage to demonstrate their abilities in handling this delicate political situation.
Kong was even willing to abandon his own long-term strategic plans to give the younger generation room to maneuver.
The reason was elegantly simple: at this point in time, what Kong and Sengoku sought was nothing more and nothing less than the future health and strength of the Marine organization itself.
And Finn, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, and the others represented exactly that future.
There was no contradiction in this thinking. If Finn, Sakazuki, and their peers performed well enough, demonstrated sufficient capability and strategic sophistication, then advancing the Marines' interests according to their methods was perfectly acceptable.
After all, the future belonged to the young.
The role of senior leadership was simply to provide a safety net for the younger generation at critical moments. To catch them if they truly stumbled. To prevent catastrophic failure while allowing them to test their wings.
That was enough. That was the responsibility Kong had chosen to accept.
"That's exactly why I need to be a bit angry and aggressive right now," Admiral Sengoku said with a knowing smile. "Otherwise, how can I help draw attention and political pressure away from what the younger officers are planning? Someone needs to be the lightning rod."
He followed Fleet Admiral Kong to the door of the Five Elders' office.
Both men paused, exchanging one final glance. A moment of shared understanding passed between them.
Then Kong knocked firmly on the massive door.